Process of grinding and polishing glass plates



March 22, 1932. L V N RES 1,850,946

PROCESS OF GRINDING AND POLISHING GLASS PLATES Filed June 20, 1927 Patented Mar. 22, 1932 umTEosTATEs PATENT OFFICE LAMBERT VON REIS, OI HERZOGENR ATH, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETE. ONT-DIE DES ATELIERS HEUZE,- MA.LEVEZ ET SIMON REUNIS, OF AUVELAIS, BEIEIUM, AND- PIIJ KINGTON BROTHERS LIMITED, OF ST. HELENS, LANCASTER, ENGLAND PROCESS OF GRINDING AND POLISHING GLASS PLATES Application filed June 20, 1927, Serial No.

This invention is directed to a method of polishing glass, wherein the polishing appliances are particularly operated both with which the present method is more particularly concerned is that in which rough glass is dressed by successive action of coarse grinders, second grinders, and polishers, the glass plate being moved beneath the grinding and polishing appliances arranged successively. The operation is a substantially continuous one, the felts of the polishers, however. requiring replacement or cleaning periodically.

In polishing glass it has been heretofore proposed, as for example in my Patent No. 1.582.808, dated April 27,1926, to cause the polishing'appliances to travel in the same di rection as the feed of the glass, thus resulting during the polishing in the provision of a space between the second grinding appliances and the immediately adjacent polishing appliance, this space being utilized for the reception of a new orfresh polisher or for the reception of the leading polisher after removal and cleaning. This method introduces 'the fresh and clean polisher on that portion ofthe glass in which the polishing treatment is least advanced.

The present method is particularly concerned with the direction of travel of the polishing appliances with respect to the feed of the glass. and the successive renewal or replacement of the polishers: and to. this end the polishing appliances, according to the present method, are caused to travel in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the glass, and the polishin appliance immediatelv 'adiacent the grinding anpliance, that is the leadin polishing appliance in their direction of movement. will, when approaching sufiicientlv close to the grinding appliance. be removed. and after cleaning or renewing the felt. such removed polishing appliance or if preferred a fresh polishing appliance, will be placed in the cessity operatin 200,236, and in Germany August 4, 1926.

but at the end opposite that polishing train,

was removed, or in other from which it words, er and replaced as the trailing polisher. Thus, as the trailing polisher is always of negon that portion of the glass most advanced 1n polishing treatment, such renewed or fresh polisher will always beopcrating on that portion of the glass of most advanced polish, thereby avoiding any possibility of a less clean or non-progressive dressing of the respective glass portions b unclean polishers or polishers relaxed in e fectiveness.

The method insures the uninterrupted op-- eration of the requisite number of polishers will be removed as the leading polishand results ina more perfect polishlng operation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l-is a diagrammatic side elevation of a plant for the smoothing, and polishing of glass plates, ning of the operation.

Fig. 2 is a similar elevation illustrating the polishing appliances in a position in-which at the beginthey have approached the appliances for second grinding.

Fig. 3 is a-corresponding elevation illustrating the lifting of the foremost polishing appliance from and its lowering onto the glass behind the rearmost polishing appli-,

ance.

modification.

The glass plate supporting tables are indicated at 1, and assumed to be moving in the direction of the arrow :2 The coarse grinding or smoothing appliances 2 and the second grinding appliances 3 are arranged for operation on the glass plate, executing their functions without materialchange in their position, as is well understood and more or less conventional.

The present invention is more particularly concerned with the polishing appliances, indicated at 4. These appliances execute their polishing function by movement relative to that of the glass plate, and this movement according to the present method is opposite to second grinding that of the feed of the glass plate, or in the direction of the arrow y.

Thus, the polishing appliances move toward the second grinding appliances 3, and in due course the leading polishing appliance, or that one next the second grinding appliance, will have approached the requisite or predetermined distance from such grinding appliance at which its effectiveness is reduced.

The normal relation of the polishing appliances and that of the grinding appliances is indicated in Fig. 1; Fig. 2 indicating the gradual approach of the polishing appliances to the grinding appliances.

When the leading polishing appliance has reached or substantially reached the redetermineddistance from the second grinding appliance, the leading polishing appliance is removed from the glass, and its felt washed or renewed and it, or if desired a fresh clean polishing appliance, is returned to the polishing train but at the opposite end of such train. That is, the polishing appliance is removed as the leading polisher and replaced, after renewal or cleaning, as the trailing polisher.

The trailing polisher as considered in the direction of movement of the polishers, is of course operating on that portion of the glass most advanced in polishing treatment, for the glass is moving in a direction opposite that of the polishers, and that portion of the glass on which the replaced polisher is deposited has already been subjected to the action of all polishers, and is most advanced in treatment. By placing the fresh clean polisher on this portion of the glass, a clean and progressive dressing of the respective glass portions is insured.

Instead of bringing the foremost polishing appliance provided with clean felts behind the rearmost polishing appliance, said foremost appliance may also be replaced by a reserve appliance with clean felts and this reserve appliance placed on the glass behind the rearmost polishing appliances.

The grinding and polishing appliances may consist of single tools or of groups of too s.

While in the plant shown and described all of the polishing appliances are arranged for traveling movement, it may sometimes be suflicient to make only some of them movable and others stationary, for instance that or those nearest the grinding appliances may be stationary. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 4, wherein the stationary polisher is indicated at 5.

Of course, any conventional or known means may be employed for interchanging the polishing appliances, such for example as that illustrated in my patent previously referred to.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. The method of polishing glass according to the process wherein the glass is moved in operative engagement successively with a plurality of polishers, which comprlses moving the polishers in a direction opposite to the normal direction of travel of the glass, removing a polisher from the head of the line, and inserting a clean polisher at the foot of the line. 1

2. A method of polishing glass, consisting in moving the glass and a train of polishers in opposition, maintaining the continuity of the polishing operation with the same number of polishers substantially constant by replacing one of the advance polishers of the train in the direction of movement with a clean polisher arranged in the train at a point remote from that from which the used polisher was removed.

3. The method of polishing glass according to the process wherein the glass is moved in operative engagement successively with a plurality of polishers, which comprises moving a polisher along the line of travel of the glass in the direction reverse to the normal direction of travel of the glass while holding an adjacent polisher stationary.

4. The method of polishing glass according to the process wherein the glass is moved in operative engagement successively with a plurality of polishers, which comprises maintaining a portion of the polishers stationary, moving a group of polishers along the line of travel of the glass reversely to the normal direction of the glass, removing a polisher from the head of the group, and inserting a clean polisher at the foot of the group.

5. The process of grinding and polishing glass plates, which consists in passing them beneath a series of grinding appliances and a series of polishing appliances arranged in succession to one another, imparting to at least some of the polishing appliances a movement in a direction opposite to the feed of the glass and toward the grinding appliances, to thereby cause the foremost one of the movable polishing appliances to approach the nearest grinding appliance; lifting the foremost polishing appliance from the glass when having sufficiently approached the nearest grinding appliance, and placing a polishing appliance with cleaned felts on the glass behind the rearmost of the movable polishing appliances, whereby to insure that the portion of the glass plates most advanced in their treatment will be worked upon by the polishing appliance with the cleanest felts.

6. The process of grinding and polishing glass plates, which consists in passing them beneath a series of grinding appliances and a series of polishing appliances arranged in succession to one another, imparting to at least some of the polishing appliances amovement in a direction opposite to the feed of v the glass and toward the grinding appliances, so as to cause the foremost one of the movable polishing appliances to come up to the. nearest grinding appliance, lifting the foremost polishing appliance from the glass when having reached the nearest grinding appliance, providing it with clean felts, carrying it over the succeeding polishing appliances and lowering it into operative position behind the rearmost one of the movable polishing appliances for the purpose of causing the polishing of the glass plate most advanced in its treatment, to be always worked upon the polishing appliance with the cleanest felts.

7. The process of polishing glass which consists in moving the glass beneath a series of grinding appliances and a train of polishm ing appliances, moving said train of polishing appliances during the polishing operation in a direction opposite that of the glass, removing the leading polisher as the train of polishers approach the grinding appli- 25 ances, and inserting a clean polisher in the train in that portion of the glass which has been subjected to the maximum polishing effect; whereby to permit uninterrupted polishing movement of the train and insure that 30 the required number of polishers are at all times-operating on the glass.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' LAMBERT VON REIS- 

